I Can't Think of a Cool Nickname

“Hey, hey! Shizu-chan’s definitely in love with Izaya. Two guys… Like BL!”

Wow, writing an introductory post is extremely difficult. I’m quite the talkative person but things like this make me a bit shy.

Hello! My name is Kiara. I am a junior in college and am double majoring in Japanese and English. You could say I am the baby in this wonderful group of bloggers. I have been an anime/manga fan since 7th grade and I am currently on a long journey to becoming a manga editor. Although I have a wide range of interests (J-rock, step dance, jazz, fashion, etc.), anime/manga occupy 70% of my free time.

I want to say that I have an indiscriminate palate when it comes to anime, but that would be a lie. My favorite genre is shounen (specifically sports) and BL. Despite having seen a few series from each genre that have embedded themselves in my heart, I’m not much of fan of shoujo or mecha. It’s a bit challenging to pick a favorite series but my go-to response is Prince of Tennis. It’s one of those anime that make me super nostalgic of my younger days as a die-hard anime fan. Man, I was insanely obsessed and passionate back then. And though I am still as dedicated as I was before, the way I express myself has matured from undecipherable sobs to somewhat coherent rants (with a few tears here and there). It’s a step up, right?

I am very interested in anime scholarship, especially anthologies like Mechademia. A topic I often gravitate towards is the portrayal and weaponization of women in anime. As a BL fan, I have been doing a lot of self-reflection and am now also very interested in the fetishizing and inaccurate depiction of queer relationships in this industry. But although I like theoretical topics like this, I’ll probably only dip into them occasionally since they are quite difficult to grapple with.

I think that pretty much sums me up. I am very new at this anime blogging thing, so please have some patience with me. I am looking forward to writing for you guys!

(bateszi: Although its been a few months since our last update, I’m still enthusiastic about keeping the blog going, so it’s with great pleasure that we’re able to introduce a new writer to the team in Kiara. We’d love to add a couple more of you, too, so if you like the way we do things around here, please do drop me line at bateszii@gmail.com.)

Looking forward to your next posts!
Since you’re majoring in both languages, didn’t you consider joining a fansub?
They’re always looking to hire people like you, not that you’re gaining anything in return Lol.

There is quite a bit of film scholarship that shares your interest with women and alteration (not mechanization exactly). This sounds like fairly new ground. I am sure you will succeed. Good luck and good post!